Chimney effect due to different vertical position of an isothermal horizontal cylinder confined between two adiabatic walls

The variation of natural convection heat transfer from an isothermal horizontal cylinder confined between two adiabatic walls of constant height is investigated by Mach-Zehnder interferometry technique. This paper focuses on the chimney effect due to the vertical position changes of cylinder (Y) located between two walls with a constant distance of W measuring 1.5 cylinder diameter. The cylinder’s local and average Nusselt numbers are determined for ratio of vertical position to its diameter ranging from Y/D = (0 to 10), and the Rayleigh number ranging from 3.5 × 10³ to 1.4 × 10⁴. There is an optimum distance between the walls in which the Nusselt number is maximum. Results are indicated with a single correlation which gives the average Nusselt number as a function of the ratio of vertical position to cylinder diameter and the Rayleigh number. The experimental data shows that there is an optimum vertical position for the cylinder at which the Nusselt number has a maximum value at each Rayleigh number. This optimal vertical position is derived from the correlation and is presented by an equation. The value of the optimum vertical position increases as the Rayleigh number increases.